Sons Of KISS's PAUL STANLEY And GENE SIMMONS Explain Why They Chose To Name Their Collaborative Project STANLEY SIMMONS

In the latest episode of the Caught On The Mike podcast, hosted by former Midwestern musician Michael Clark, Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons — sons of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, respectively, from KISS — spoke about their recently released collaborative single, "Body Down", and their upcoming debut album. Regarding why they chose to name the project STANLEY SIMMONS, Evan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "It's funny when you say the obvious marketing angle, it's a really funny one for us, or to anyone who is familiar, our parents are in a band together, and it's a pretty big band and that's great and it's really cool. I think it's one of those things where online it's a very funny thing. You read these comments, and it's, like, 'You're trying to do your own thing, but then you use their names. Riding their coattails.' I'm, like, dude, it's literally our names. This is my birth name. It's our legal name."

Nick chimed in: "I didn't actually anticipate that, which is stupid. I should have. But when we talked about it, we were, like, 'Oh, we like a lot of bands that do that: CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, HALL & OATES and SIMON & GARFUNKEL. We could just be STANLEY & SIMMONS' or whatever. And so we did that conversation. And we were, like, 'Yeah, sounds good. That makes sense, with the type of music we're doing.' Yeah. And then people were, like, 'Look at them milking the fucking [KISS connection].' And we were, like, 'Oh, I guess… I didn't really think about that.'"

Evan continued: "The thing is, you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't. Because at the end of the day, there are so many talented musicians out there, and there's so much great music coming out. There's also just an ungodly amount of platforms to try and keep up with, and there's so much noise to cut through. So there's so much great stuff, and then also because everyone has a platform, everyone wants to use it and be loud, so then there's also a lot of noise. So anything that we can do to help cut through the noise and get people to listen to our music, I'm willing to do. I have no problem with that, because at the end of the day, someone will listen once out of curiosity, but they won't listen a tenth time because they're curious. They're gonna either love it and connect with it and be part of it or they won't be. And that's not something you can buy. You can get in front of people and we're very, very lucky in that way. But it's so funny reading all the comments. It's kind of, like, 'Okay, so you don't want us to use this, but then when we don't, you ask why we don't.'"

Stanley added: "To us, the reason we went with STANLEY SIMMONS is this was such an unexpected collaboration. We've been friends for a long time, but we'd never really done anything together. And when we tried writing, we were, like, 'Wow, this is something. Let's run with this.' And from the get-go it has been — I think the word 'organic' and 'authentic', both of those words get tossed around so much, but this was never trying to be a thing… And then it was, like, 'Let's write a song or two together. And maybe we'll do one or two songs together. It'll be fun.' And then we wrote the first one. It was, like, 'Well, wait. This is the best song I've ever been a part of. There's something to this.' … And that's kind of why we went with STANLEY SIMMONS, is just, 'Hey, this is who we are.' We're not trying to be the da da. It's just our names. There really isn't a thing, except the thing is that it's just us singing together and playing stuff that we like."

Caught On The Mike is an open-format podcast that shines a spotlight on fascinating individuals from all walks of life, sharing their unique journeys and experiences. With a diverse guest lineup ranging from musicians and actors to athletes and critics, the show fosters connection and inspiration in every episode.

The official lyric video for "Body Down", which came out in early December, can be seen below.

Regarding the collaboration's musical direction, Evan told KTLA's Andy Riesmeyer: "We grew up loving a lot of roots stuff, Americana folk, so you hear a lot of that in there. It really has nothing to do with what our dads do. I think the interesting thing is we do actually have a lot of the same influences."

Nick added: "We were excited. I never get to do just stripped down, rootsy Americana music. And so it was, like, 'Let's do it. 'Cause it would be fun.' And then people were, like, 'No, you should do this.'"

STANLEY SIMMONS's upcoming debut album is being helmed by GREEN DAY producer Rob Cavallo, who said about the project: "The fact that it has nothing to do with the sound of KISS is the first thing that's interesting. And even the name STANLEY SIMMONS. And you realize they're kind of like the new Laurel Canyon mystical, magical. It's just got its own vibe that's very deep. So we're excited."

On the topic of what their famous parents had to say about STANLEY SIMMONS's musical output so far, Nick said: "My father is the master of the backhanded compliment. He'll be, like, 'This is much better than the last thing you showed me.' And I was, like, 'Oh, you said some nice things about that.' He goes, 'Nothing compared to this.'"

Evan added: "They're unbelievably supportive. If someone's honest with you, then when they say something's great, it's actually worthwhile, and it means something."

Nick acknowledged that STANLEY SIMMONS will likely encounter some pushback from fans, particularly criticism suggesting nepotism.

"I am like every other consumer out there — I'm a little sick of the family members of people trying to insert themselves into our eyeballs," he explained. "But it doesn't really matter if one of them is actually good."

For the past year, Evan and Nick have been sharing posts on Instagram of the pair making music together.

Regarding how STANLEY SIMMONS came about, Evan told told Tmrw magazine: "It was never supposed to be a project. We just wanted to sing together once. Then we heard it back and thought, 'Wait, this actually sounds special.'" Nick concurred, saying: "There's a kind of connection you can't fake. When we sing together, it feels like a third voice, something new."

As for what it's like to make music as the sons of KISS, Evan said: "People get hyped on the last names. But that doesn't get you anywhere. You can't network your way into making something that actually moves people."

In February 2025, Nick told People magazine about STANLEY SIMMONS's inception: "We've grown up together. We're essentially brothers, so we always thought we'd probably play together for fun at some point. But recently Evan picked up a guitar when we were hanging out, and we started humming some harmonies, and it was kind of an unexpected, magic moment. It all just snowballed from there."

In December 2024, Evan and Nick shared a video of them covering SIMON & GARFUNKEL's 1964 classic "The Sound Of Silence", with Nick captioning the clip, "he garfunkeled my simon till my hall got oates".

In March 2025, Gene told New York Post about Nick and Evan's musical partnership: "Both have been pals because they went to see their dads work since they were little boys. And they never thought about getting together, just strumming and humming and all that."

Referencing the aforementioned "The Sound Of Silence" video, Gene added: "[Nick] set up a camera, and Evan just started strumming his guitar. They did 'The Sound Of Silence' a few times and immediately everybody went, 'What is that?' Because you can't create that. You either have that chemistry — that sound that people react to — or not, right? Something about both Evan's voice and Nick's voice connected."

Gene continued: "The response was so overwhelming that now, even though they both have their own things, they're in the middle of writing tunes and recording their first album with a producer."

He added: "Both Paul and I are very proud."

In July 2025, Paul told Liz Svatek about Evan and Nick's collaboration: "They're just finishing an album. And it's fantastic. It really, really is. It's magical. I just got a chill because I see the two of them, and Gene and I have been together 55 years, 56 years, and started out as kids in our parents' house. And here's our boys having this fabulous, magical connection and making great music. And they're both great, great guys with really great talent, and to see them together is poignant… They've known each other their whole lives, and only in the last six months have they suddenly started playing music together. And it's clicked in a way that's incredible. I mean, it's just magical… It's kind of like the wonder of life, things that happen that are so, at least at some point in your life, beyond even your wildest dreams. Gene's and my sons are gonna be singing together and making great music, and the industry is gonna be buzzing about it. And it's not manufactured. And that's wonderful."